Sunday, 11 May 2014

The Akademie für Alte Musik, Berlin bring such fine playing to Mozart’s arrangements of Bach’s Preludes and Fugues on a new release from Harmonia Mundi.

On the 10th April 1782, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) wrote to his father Leopold,
‘I go to the house of Baron Van Swieten every Sunday at 12 o’clock and nothing
is played there but Handel and Bach. I am making a collection of Bach’s fugues,
those of Sebastian as well as Emanuel and Friedemann’. On 6th December
1783 he again wrote to his father asking him to send some Bach fugues from
Salzburg.

It is very likely that Mozart arranged a number of Bach’s
fugues especially for performance at these Sunday gatherings at Van Swieten’s
house in Vienna. Whilst the real revival of Bach’s music occurred in the 19th
century this does show that, amongst some musicians and connoisseurs, Bach’s
music still retained an enthusiasm in the late 18th century.

Harmonia Mundiwww.harmoniamundi.comhas just released
a recording by the Akademie für Alte Musik, Berlinwww.akamus.de of Mozart’s Bach arrangements
together with two of Mozart’s own original compositions in that genre.

HMC 902159

In the first arrangement, the Prelude and Fugue in D minor, K.405/4 fromBach’s Prelude and Fugue
No.8, BWV 877 (The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book II), the Akademie für Alte
Musik produce some fine textures that, whilst not in any way rivalling Bach’s
glorious creation, allow us to hear a different take on Bach’s musical lines, with
Mozart laying out the fugal textures so well.

The Larghetto
cantabile in D major and Fugue, K.405/5 is anarrangement of Bach’s Prelude
and Fugue No. 5, BWV 874 (The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book II) with Mozart
providing some lovely little decorations, nicely pointed up by the Akademie. There
are such nicely turned phrases in the larghetto whilst the fugue reveals many
little subtleties, even though something of the contrapuntal detail is lost in
Mozart’s arrangement.

Mozart turned to Book
I ofThe Well-Tempered Clavier (Prelude
and Fugue No. 22, BWV 867) for his arrangement of the Adagio and Fugue in A minor. The combination of oboe, bassoon and
trombone make a striking sound in with some lovely rasping timbres and a
languid feel in the Adagio. There are no problems following Bach’s lines in the
fugue with the winds of the Akademie providing a wonderful sound.

The Akademie für Alte Musik put together Mozart’s Allegro in C minor, K.Anh 44 and Fuga a due
Cembali, K.426,both original
compositions. Although there is no positive evidence that this Allegro was intended to precede the Fuga, K.426, it has been speculated that
the fragment for two harpsichords, K Anh
44, might be associated with the Fugue.

This performance features two fortepianos played by Raphael
Alpermann and Jörg-Andreas Bötticher who provide some fine playing, conjuring
up some terrific contrapuntal textures and making this a fascinating work.

We return to strings for the Adagio cantabile and Fugue in E flat major where Mozart looks again
to Bach with his Prelude and Fugue No.7,BWV 876 from The Well-Tempered
Clavier, Book II. Mozart beautifully layers the sounds, nicely realised by
the Akademie and beautifully paced. When the fugue arrives there is some
especially fine playing as the musical lines unfold.

Deep, rich bass string sounds open the adagio of Adagio and Fugue in C minor, K.546 revealing
so much of Mozart’s own ideas in this form and bringing almost Handelian
qualities to the music. In the fugue, the music rises to some splendid
passages.

Adagio and Fugue in E
major, K.405/3 takes Bach’s Prelude
and FugueNo.No.9, BWV 878 from The
Well-Tempered Clavier, Book II. The strings of the Akademie für Alte Musik
slowly unfold in the Adagio of this effective arrangement. The fugue brings the
same slow unfolding of lines full of dignity and warmth. These players show
such sensitivity.

Finally we have two arrangements of Bach’s Prelude and Fugue No. 4, BWV 849 from The
Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I, the Adagio
and Fugue in B minor and the Adagio
and Fugue in D minor.

The Adagio of the
Adagio and Fugue in B minor for strings, moves forward at a nice pace with
the Akademie providing a bright and clear texture. This fine texture is brought
to the fugue in this wholly attractive arrangement that reveals much affinity
with Bach’s Die Kunst der Fuge (Art of Fugue).

There is a slow, steady paced opening to the Adagio of the Adagio and Fugue in D minor with
rather Mozartian flourishes and some nicely pointed playing from this band with
nicely hushed passages. It is a period bassoon that opens the fugue, followed
by trombone and oboe with some glorious wind textures before the strings
re-enter, building a terrific layer of sounds.

The Akademie für Alte Musik, Berlin bring such fine playing
to these pieces adding to the attraction of this interesting and beautifully
produced issue. They receive an excellent recording and there are informative
booklet notes.

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About The Classical Reviewer

The Classical Reviewer has been involved in music for many years, as a classical record distributor, as a newspaper concert reviewer and writer of articles relating to music as well as reviewing for Harpsichord and Fortepiano magazine.

He assisted in the cataloguing of the scores of the late British composer George Lloyd and has co-authored a memoir of his friendship with the composer.

Having a particular interest in British music, he regularly undertakes talks on Elgar.

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